Five Star Michelin | Lee Taeyong x reader

Salt

"An order for the Honey Glazed Salmon", Mark called out, hanging a piece of paper on a string using one of the wooden clips. He wore his uniform, which every waiter in the restaurant wore. It consisted of a crisp white dress shirt and black trousers, and with his hair styled nicely, it made him look very attractive indeed. Everyone who worked in Weishen looked pristine, it was a matter of keeping up the name of the place.

You inclined your head towards the boy, who took this as an affirmation, before walking off back into the seating area to take orders. You sighed, walking to one of the cooking stations and tasting the broth that one of the chefs under you had made, "More spice", you said, "Jaehyun fix this, I'll start working on the Salmon"

Jaehyun nodded, taking the ladle from your hand and stirring the broth, taking down some of the bottles from the cupboard above. You went back to your own place, taking out the fish, and began cutting it into fillets, "Taeil, prep the sauce"

You were the head chef at the Weishen Restaurant, and rightly so, since you had led the restaurant to its first and only Michelin star with your cooking, and was known around the world for your accomplishments and as one of the best chefs. You had first made a name for yourself when you won a worldwide cooking competition, and it had only been up from there. You had had to build up people's respect for you, especially since you were amongst the youngest in the industry.

You had come from a pretty modest family, and at first, when you won, it hit you in the face all at once. The fame, the attention, and the riches. It was an entirely different lifestyle to what you were used to and had been brought up with. The interviews, talk shows, had been stressful, but now you were much more used to it all.

Many still thought you were a rookie, a one-hit-wonder chef who won against your competitors because of luck, hence you always had to do your best, and outdo yourself at times.

You seasoned the salmon, twisting the pepper grinder to crush the spice inside, and glazing it with Olive oil, putting it in the oven to bake, "Is the steak ready?"

"Give it a few minutes, it'll be done then"

You nodded at Xiaojun, one of the other chefs under you, "Okay good"

"Uh", Mark reappeared, "Y/n?"

You glanced up, "Oh hey, what happened?"

"I don't know how to tell you this but", he paused, tapping his foot on the ground, "Well you see-"

"Spit it out dude", you said, leaning against one of the counters impatiently. He cleared his throat, "The man at table 7 wants some salt"

It felt as if silence had wrapped around all of you that stood in the kitchen. You raised an eyebrow at your friend, "What?"

"You know, that condiment, it's white and-"

"I know what salt is", you gritted out, "Take me to him"

"That's not a-"

"Mark", your voice had turned darkish, warning Mark to just lead you to this man. "Yeah, okay follow me."

You pushed off your gloves, pulling your hair down and retying it up in a ponytail so you would look somewhat presentable. You untied your apron and handed it to Taeil, who gave you a supportive smile before you followed him out. He led you through the dimly lit restaurant and candlelit tables to one in the back.

A man sat there alone, which was odd. Weishen wasn't a casual restaurant by any means. The people who ate here usually came in groups, rich families or for a business meeting. Seeing him alone, slightly aloof looking, was not something you were particularly used to.

The second thing you noticed was his eccentric red hair, styled messily so that it pointed out in different directions. He wore a light blue shirt, that contrasted his bright hair, had an eyebrow slit and all in all didn't even come close to the crowd you were used to seeing.

He stared at the two of you walking in, eyes following you lazily. They looked laid back, yet something about them was very intense. They unnerved you, but you stood straight as Mark and you approached him.

"Hello sir, I'm Y/n the head chef", you raised your hand to shake his. He eyes your hand, but made no motion to take it, "I know who you are"

Slightly taken aback, you dropped your hand, "Mark told me you had a problem with the food?"

"Needs salt", he said, "Under seasoned"

His don't-care-ish attitude was starting to annoy you. He seemed entitled as fuck, which was starting to set you off, and the fact that he was so easily insulting your food was not helping.

"I'm sorry, but the food is perfectly seasoned, I can assure you that"

"Can you now?", he asked, "Because it needs salt." He placed his fork down, it hit the plate with a soft clink. You flinched slightly, biting the inside of your cheek to prevent you from slapping this infuriating man. "Look-"

"Are you offended?", he asked, almost coyly, which made you glare at him. "Y/n, not the time-", Mark started, but the man cut him off.

"Don't you know the customer is always right? I asked for the salt, not a conversation with you", he leaned back, raising an eyebrow as if he was challenging you. You fisted your hands, "Get out of my restaurant", you hissed, "I don't care if you're the customer, I do not appreciate being insulted like this."

He smirked, his dark eyes studying you as if you were a piece of art. "Alright", he said finally, "I'll go", he stood up, letting you access him even more. He was definitely attractive, lean yet muscular. He was taller than you by a little, but the infuriating smirk that played on his lips threw you off checking him out.

He walked past you leisurely, before leaning down next to your ear, "Doesn't change the fact that the food needs a little salt", he whispered, before standing straight again and walking out, passing Mark who stared at him wide-eyed.

"Asshole", you muttered, rubbing your arms. Mark walked in front and took the man's plate of ravioli, which had barely been touched. That felt like another insult. Your friend gave you a half-smile. You rolled your eyes, walking back to the kitchen to finish up a dish.

"Salt", you scoffed drizzled the honey glaze reduction that Taeil had made over the salmon "bastard"